A third of the colony’s food has vanished overnight. Nobody knows why. And the keeper in charge of the stores is pretending everything is fine.

In this episode of the Compass & Codex ant adventure audiobook for boys, Cinder, Blaze, and Thistle notice the missing food, confront the keeper Etta Lorne, spy on a secret military briefing from a ledge above the Grand Chamber — and learn that three patrol ants never came back last night. Not even a shell.

Colony in Danger is a serialized ant adventure for boys ages 8–14, reluctant readers, and homeschool families. Start from Episode 1 — every chapter picks up where the last ended.

For fans of Watership Down, Empires of the Undergrowth, and AntsCanada.

📖 Buy the full Colony in Danger Part 1 audiobook: Coming Soon!
📧 Free Ant Codex field reports: https://compass-codex.kit.com/ant-codex-subscribe

The food stores are depleted and nobody is explaining why. Cinder, Blaze, and Thistle investigate — sneaking through maintenance tunnels to spy on Queen Aureline’s emergency briefing with Captain Selwick. Three scouts are missing. The Queen knows things she hasn’t told the colony. And the Queen has been asking about Cinder by name.

This homeschool audiobook and reluctant reader series uses accurate fire ant biology — the colony structure, food storage systems, and patrol behavior in this episode are all real.

Who — or what — is taking the food? Leave your theory in the comments.

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I am the author of serialized fiction books for kids, teens, tweens and young adults, including:

- Brickhaven: A Bricks Fan Fiction Adventure

- Colony In Danger: A Fire Ant Adventure

- Eagle's Edge: A Story of Rome, Gaul and the Making of a Soldier

- Treasure Island: A Classic Adaptation

- Iron Rails & Ruin: A Novel of Steam, Sorcery and the Lawless Montana Territory

📚 All five books -- are now available on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

📖 Wanna check out all five series for yourself? Get all five Chapter 1s free: https://compass-codex.kit.com/middle-school-reader-group

Thank you for listening! This is Reed Sterling. Remember: Never stop exploring unknown worlds.